Vegan in Thailand
Coconut milk instead of dairy makes Thai food a natural fit, and the annual Jay (เจ) festival has left a permanent infrastructure of yellow-flag vegan stalls. The catch is fish sauce, oyster sauce and shrimp paste, which are used as salt rather than as an ingredient.
Plant-based friendliness
80
Dishes that are already plant-based
Pad pak ruam
Stir-fried mixed vegetables; request soy sauce instead of oyster sauce.
Green curry (jay)
Coconut curry made without shrimp paste at jay kitchens.
Som tam jay
Papaya salad without fish sauce or dried shrimp.
Khao soi jay
Northern coconut noodle curry, vegan versions widely available in Chiang Mai.
Market staples
Coconut milkTofuRicePeanutsThai basilTamarind
Phrases to use
- Gin jay
- I eat vegan (Jay diet).
- Mai sai nam pla
- No fish sauce.
- Mai sai kapi
- No shrimp paste.
Watch out for
- Fish sauce as the default seasoning
- Oyster sauce in stir-fries
- Shrimp paste in curry pastes
- Egg added to pad thai unless you ask
Questions people ask
What is the yellow Jay flag?
A red-on-yellow เจ sign marks a kitchen cooking strictly plant-based food, also free of alliums.
Is Thai curry paste vegan?
Usually not — most commercial and market pastes contain shrimp paste. Jay versions omit it.